This is by far the easiest, most delicious recipe I’ve come across for ooey-gooey-fudgy lava cake. The best part is you can assemble most ingredients ahead of time, then bake an hour before serving. Serve warm, with vanilla ice cream.
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
1 cup all-purpose flour
7 Tablespoons Hershey’s unsweetened cocoa powder, divided
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 1/4 cup hot water
Directions:
- Pre heat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Spray 9 x 9-inch baking pan with Pam cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together 3/4 cup granulated sugar, flour, 3 Tablespoons cocoa, baking powder and salt.
- Using an electric mixer, beat in milk, melted butter, and vanilla. Beat until smooth. (Batter will be thick.)
- Scrape batter into prepared baking pan. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar, brown sugar, and remaining 4 Tablespoons cocoa.
- Sprinkle dry ingredients evenly over cake batter in pan.
- IF MAKING AHEAD STOP HERE. Finish assembling and bake 1 hour before serving.
- Pour hot water over top of dry ingredients in cake pan. DO NOT STIR.
- Once again, DO NOT STIR.
- Bake 40 minutes, or until center is almost set.
- Remove cake from oven and let set 15 minutes.
- Spoon cake into dessert dishes. Be sure to spoon chocolate sauce from bottom of pan over cake.
- Top with ice cream, if desired.
